A document of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy on the blessing of so-called gay marriages

Lvov (Ukraine), 1 July 2011

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy

At its session on 14 May 2011, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy issued a document N. 2011/XX entitled “Blessing of hetero- and homosexual couples in non-traditional communion of life”. This document denies the authority of God’s Word and God’s commandments.

Quotation: “A union of homosexuals, if it is voluntary, permanent, responsible … gains equality … with marriage.”

This statement is absurd, cancels the basic moral values and basic categories of distinction between good and evil. Never in the history of mankind, in no culture and in no society has a homosexual union been regarded as a marriage. “God made them male and female… For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mt 19:4-6) So the marriage of one man and one woman is a divine and natural institution.

“homosexual union” – This is no marriage but debauchery of two people.

“voluntary” – Voluntary debauchery is an aggravating circumstance. One must put an end to it as soon as possible.

“permanent” – Permanent debauchery is a sign of obstinacy in evil and rejection of salvific repentance. So obstinate a man will not accept the chance of salvation from eternal condemnation in hell even in the hour of death.

“responsible” – How can a crime be responsible? A homosexual “responsibly” transmits the deadly disease AIDS. A homosexual-paedophile “responsibly” rapes children! This is irresponsibility and a flagrant crime. According to statistics, an average homosexual man has more than 100 partners during his life. What responsibility?

Perverted homosexual cohabitation cannot be equal to marriage. Why? Natural marriage educates man and woman for all their life. By looking after the children the parents are purified from selfishness and grow in self-sacrifice and love. Marriage is a sacrament, but cohabitation of two men is an abomination which degrades human dignity.

We live in a time when an antichristian system is being implemented in all spheres of human life and it starts by changing the human thinking. The basic axiom of the spirit of antichrist is that evil must be accepted as good and promoted in positive terms.

Homosexuality is evil and an abomination. In the antichristian system the perversion of homosexuality is clothed in the concept of “human rights” and promoted accordingly. Consequently, the crimes of paedophilia, zoophilia, necrophilia, sadomasochism, the use of narcotics … become “human rights” and hence a good. Perversion and crime will become a fundamental principle in society.

What is nowadays, for example, behind the term “the rights of children”? Violation of children’s rights: children must no longer be brought up by parents. Then the juvenile justice system takes them away from their parents and they are placed in reception camps where they are sexually abused and even sold for organs. And this most violent crime is legalized under the lofty term “the rights of children”. The same is true about women’s rights. Juvenile justice deprives them of children by force and without reason. France – 2 million children removed from their parents.

The right to choose your sex (gender ideology). A person who does not know whether he or she is a man or a woman can no longer be sure of anything. It is a complete disintegration of human personality.

President of the Czech Republic V. Klaus comments on this change of axioms which eliminate even the rights of individual nations: “There is an abnormal emphasis on the notion of “human rights”. On this basis one systematically eliminates all civil rights.”

In the current fight against the antichristian spirit the Church should be the greatest force. Unfortunately, the Church has betrayed. During the last half of the century the apostolic teachings have been replaced by the so-called historical-critical method in theology (HCT) with the spirit of disbelief in God’s Word. This method denies the fundamental truths – sin, the supernatural, inspiration of Scripture, Christ’s Divinity, Christ’s Resurrection, the reality of eternal life and eternal damnation. It puts this all in the sphere of myths. This apostatical theology consciously manipulates and lies (see testimony of E. Linnemann, a student of R. Bultmann). The second poisonous source is reverence for pagan demons (Nostra aetate) and the gesture of Pope John Paul II in Assisi and his beatification on 1 May 2011. Through that gesture the whole Catholic Church received the spirit of Assisi, the spirit of antichrist. Homosexuality (see Rom 1:18f) is the consequence of apostasy from God (HCT) and idolatry (Assisi).

It is impossible to fight against homosexuality unless these two poisonous roots are pulled up. Church apostates at key posts have already started to promote the spirit of homosexuality (ex-Card. Husar in his book Discussions with His Beatitude L. Husar: On Postconfessional Christianity /2006/ officially approves of homosexuality; ex-Card. Sch?nborn advocates a “reform” in the Church which would legalize homosexuality; ex-Bishop Lopez OP in Mexico promotes legalization of gay marriage and gay adoption of children). Homosexuality is promoted not only by these Catholic pseudo authorities but by other denominations too. E.g. in the Lutheran Church in Sweden a public lesbian is a bishop. Anglican and Episcopal Church legalizes homosexuality as well as so-called church weddings of homosexuals.

The false prophets now establish an antichristian ideology right on the basis of this betrayal of moral and spiritual values and of the whole Scripture. This ideology certifies the Church’s approval of homosexuality by distorting God’s Word. The document of the Lutheran Church in Italy under the title “Blessing of hetero- and homosexual couples in non-traditional communion of life” dated 14 May 2011 is a testimony to an official betrayal of Christ and denial of God’s Word. The basic antichristian principle which this heretical document is based upon is a denial of the fact that homosexuality is a sin and an abomination! Unequivocal Bible verses are distorted and given a completely different meaning. The demonic intention is to change the thinking of Christians and to make it independent of conscience and God’s Word. Then the Church will freely accept gay marriages and gay adoption of children and inflict even ecclesiastical penalties upon Christians for so-called homophobia. This dangerous poison is to destroy the institution of family, culture and Christianity in the Italian nation.

Rom 1:25-27: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie (unbelief), and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator (neopaganism). For this reason God gave them up to dishonourable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men…”

How is this explained by the Lutheran authors of the document?

Quotation: “Sexual practices that Paul had in mind were not between partners with equal rights and were not an expression of sexuality lived in a responsible manner.”

Response: For 2000 years the Church accepted this truth expressed by the Apostle Paul in the way it is written, i.e. in the context of the entire Holy Scripture. Homosexuality is a sin and an abomination. The Scripture does not speak here about any partners with equal rights, nor about sexuality lived in a responsible manner, both of which is absurd. Behind Paul’s words about homosexuality is God’s Spirit who is the author of Sacred Scripture.

We ask: Do the Lutheran “superapostles” have the Spirit of Christ like the Apostle Paul? No! They have the spirit of antichrist!

The Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate hereby announces that the Lutheran authors of the document 2011/XX have nothing to do with the Church of Christ and are excluded from the Mystical Body of Christ – the Church – by reason of proclamation of another gospel according to Gal 1:8-9! If they do not repent and if they die in their heresy, they will be eternally condemned! We hereby call upon all sincere believers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church to condemn this document and to distance themselves from it as well as from its heretical authors. Unless they do so and if they show unity with the apostates of Italy, the whole Lutheran Church is no longer the Church of Christ but the harlot of antichrist. We also call upon all Catholics of Italy to do the same. The ideology of this document is antichristian and causes moral decay of the individual, family and the whole Italian society. “Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (1Cor 6:9)

We warn against similar church documents which legalize sin and deny the essence of Holy Scripture as well as 2000-year Church Tradition. Their authors are wolves in sheep’s clothing, false prophets who lead the deceived souls to eternal hell.

On behalf of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

+ Elijah

Patriarch

+ Timothy OSBMr     + Methodius OSBMr

Secretaries of the BCP

Copies to:

– The Christian Churches

– President and MPs of Italy

– MEPs and Presidents of EU member states

– Mass media